India registered a thrilling win in Bengaluru to whitewash Afghanistan 3-0 in what was the last bilateral T20I series before heading into the World Cup. Since their exit from the previous edition of the tournament – in 2021, held in Australia – the management has tried several players and even multiple leaders. However, the think tank is yet to finalise the squad of 15 which would travel to the West Indies and the United States for the showpiece event.
Amid uncertainties about their T20I futures, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returned to play the shortest format after 14 months and made strong statements with their performance. The Indian skipper, after securing back-to-back ducks, blasted a record 5th T20I ton and also registered his highest score in the format. On the other hand, Kohli might not have amassed too many runs but his agility on the field didn’t go unnoticed.
With several talented youngsters in the fray, it won’t be an easy task when the Indian team management sits down with the selectors and finalise the squad for the forthcoming World Cup. Speaking with Jio Cinema after the conclusion of the 3rd T20I, Rohit said it’s disappointing for the players who miss out on World Cup squads despite performing well.
“It becomes challenging to a large extent because you are trying out a lot of players. Like when we were playing in the ODI World Cup, we tried out many boys in T20s. They perform but when the main squad is announced, some boys have to be left out. So, it is disappointing for them. But our job is to bring clarity to the team. It shouldn’t be that we want to do something and something else is happening. So, in the pool of 25-30 players we have, they know what is expected of each player,” Rohit said.
The Indian skipper further revealed that the squad for the forthcoming World Cup hasn’t been finalised yet. He added that it’s hard to keep everyone happy by handing them a place in the team as the players are picked as per the requirement of the side.
“We have still not finalised the squad for the T20 World Cup, but obviously in the mind you know the 8-10 players who are going to play. Then you decide on the combination after looking at the conditions of the place you will be travelling to,” Rohit said.
“In the West Indies, the conditions are quite slow, so we have to pick the squad accordingly. Again I say, Rahul Bhai and I have tried to maintain clarity in the team. The one thing I have learnt from captaincy is that you can’t keep everyone happy. You have to focus on the needs of the team,” he added.
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